New details have surfaced about the process leading to the appointment of Paul Notyawa as municipal manager.
New details have surfaced about the process leading to the appointment of Paul Notyawa as municipal manager.
This follows Council's decision to revisit the recordings of the Council meeting in which he was appointed earlier this year.
The position of municipal manager became vacant after Pravine Naidoo was dismissed for misconduct in April last year.
Council appointed Notyawa municipal manager on 12 March and his file was later handed over to Cooperative Governance MEC, Fikile Xasa, for his endorsement.
Xasa then ordered Makana Municipality to re-advertise the position of municipal manager because the candidate (Notyawa) appointed by Council did not meet the minimum requirements in terms of the Municipal Systems Act.
Notyawa has since taken legal action against the municipality.
Council recently established a committee to listen to the tape recordings of the Council meeting on 12 March to consider Notyawa's appointment.
The committee comprised acting municipal manager Riana Meiring, council speaker Rachel Madinda-Isaac, and councillors Thuleka Ngeleza, Pierre Ranchhod, Mabhuti Matyumza, Brian Fargher and Ruth Plaatjie.
Matyumza was, however, absent when they sat to listen to the recordings on 24 June.
The report was discussed as a confidential item in the special council meeting last Friday. The purpose was to table the corrections recorded by the reviewing committee of the 12 March Council meeting.
The committee sat on Wednesday.
One key piece of information that came out of those minutes was that none of the candidates who applied for the position, including Notyawa, had the Certificate Programme in Municipal Development (CPMD).
This qualification was mentioned as an additional advantage in the advertisement. That's according to the report, of which Grocott's Mail is in possession.
CPMD is a Cogta regulation and must be obtained as a basis of competence by all Section 56/57 officials. Concern was expressed that none of the applicants had it.
Notyawa, currently the head of Makana's Local Economic Development and Planning portfolio, had been up against two candidates – Nceba Adonis and George Ngesi.
Ngesi is the former municipal manager of Ndlambe Municipality. The report also states that concerns were raised about Ngesi being investigated by the Hawks.
Plus, according to the Municipal Act, a source said, Notyawa should have disclosed that he was a councillor when he applied for the job of municipal manager.
The report indicates that councillor Julia Wells proposed that the matter be referred to Xasa for legal analysis, since there was missing information.
The anomalies included the fact that Notyawa did not disclose to the selection panel that he is a councillor, Ngesi's alleged gross misconduct and the issue of the CPMD certificate.
Ranchhod, according to the report said he was not in favour of any of the candidates and would rather wait for the legal analysis to be sought. He said he would not vote for any candidate.
Councillor Nomathamsanqa Meti proposed the appointment of Notyawa and a condonement of non-disclosure, according to the minutes .
This was seconded by Ngeleza.
Seventeen councillors voted in favour of Notyawa being appointed as municipal manager and four voted against his appointment.
Ranchhod and councillor Nomhle Gaga requested that their names be recorded for their votes against the appointment.
The council then resolved to appoint Notyawa to the position.
They also resolved that he applies for exemption from the CPMD and that the Council condone Notyawa's failure to disclose his councillor status to the appointment panel.
Makana Municipality re-advertised the position earlier last month, despite the fact that there is pending legal action against it in connection with Notyawa's dismissal.
Municipal spokesperson Yoliswa Ramokolo had not responded to questions from Grocott's Mail at the time of going to press.
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